6 apps to stretch your student dollar

College students have it pretty tough. As if leaving the parental nest — filled with free food and clean clothing — wasn’t enough, embarking on the great college adventure can leave your bank account drained. Life as an adult-in-the-making is a financial learning curve and the bills can pile up while you blissfully toss a frisbee on the college green.

Getting the most out of college and your finances is as simple as downloading an app. In today’s technology driven world, apps make saving easy and effective for the student looking to save. Here are six apps that give you an edge on saving.

1. Mint

This financial tracking app is a particularly potent tool for helping students decide how they should divide their money to fit their lifestyle. It helps them find areas of excessive spending, like the grocery store or restaurants, and recommends adjustments for achieving an affordable living. The app uses game theory to motivate students to take charge of their spending and rewards them for setting financial goals, like building an emergency fund. Learning is premium in this app, with a recommendations section that provides guidance for students looking to become masters of their financial futures.

BillMinder is another good app for staying on top of your financial game. Many students have little to no experience paying bills when they arrive on campus. Student fees, phone bills, car notes, and off-campus living bills can add up to a lot of payments to remember. BillMinder helps your track your bills, sending you reminders and helping you avoid late fees that drain your funds.

While we’re on the subject of bills, decreasing the size of payments is a foolproof way to avoid paying more than necessary for basic needs. The WhatsApp app does just that for your phone bill and is available for all Android phones on carriers like T-Mobile. It allows users to connect with other app users via text message for free without geographical restrictions. Users will save money on standard text messaging fees and stay connected while studying abroad or supporting friends doing the same.

Campus Special helps you find the best food and drink deals around your campus. Growing intellectual minds need adequate sustenance to do well in the academic environment, and sometimes the school cafeteria isn’t going to cut it. This app understands your need for new, stimulating food adventures, finding all the best deals around campus for food and drink. It locates multiple restaurant deals to please any craving, allows for menu planning and easy over-the-phone orders, and offers loyalty rewards for frequent users.

5. Venmo

College is a time of sharing, but excessive favors lead to financial losses for the lender, especially if borrowers aren’t held accountable. Venmo does just that, helping students keep track of their lending and borrowing, and giving them access to student borrower ratings based on their payback rates. The app promotes a friendly environment of responsible sharing and helps students prevent unnecessary financial losses.

Finding an ATM with fee reimbursement for your bank is hard around college campuses. The ATM Hunter app understands this conundrum and allows students to forgo the fees while withdrawing cash around campus. All the app needs to know is your type of ATM card and the rest is a matter of choosing a fee-free ATM closest to you. Money saved on ATM fees is the start to a more financially sound college experience.

Whether it’s avoiding fees or finding the cheapest pasta dinner in town, these apps can keep you on track during your college years and set the pace for an adulthood of smart-spending and financial savings. Download to start saving today!

About the author: JT Ripton is a freelance writer out of Tampa, FL, who lives for TED talks and loves being inspired by all of the incredible people out there who motivate him to be a better person in all facets of life.

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ValoreBooks makes it easy for savvy students like you to save money, make money, and get the most value out of your college experience. Our blog is no exception to that rule. Here you'll find tips and advice on studying, saving money, planning your career, paying for college, and more.